Tray elevator



S. OLSON TRAY ELEVATOR Marh 10, 1931.

Filed Sept. l0, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l 1 l l I l Il l Mllll l lill l/Qefyzof. Q57@ Jef O 0.22. y .c t

fffness March 1G, 1931. 5, OLSON 1,796,119

TRAY ELEVATOR Filed Sept. l0, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 12 Mem for Patented Mar. 10, 17931 p UNITED 4sra TES PATENT; omer.

SAMUEL OLSON, OF'OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, 'ASSIGNOR T0 SAMUEL OLSON & COMPANY p INC., CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A vCORPORAILION OF ILLINOIS V TRAY yLLnvAroR y k'Application filed September 10, 1927. VSerial No. 218,779.

*A This 'invention relates to tray elevatorsand has for its obJec't to provide a carrier of improved' construction adapted to be used on anelevatorfor raising and lowering trays carrier, showing its connection to the eleva- Y sists in certain features and elements of construction, herein shown dlcated bythe claims. yInvthe drawings:

anddescribed, as in- Figure l is a somewhat diagrammatic illustration of an elevator using 'my improved carriers, and showing atransverse conveyorarranged so 'as toperinit automaticl discharge :thereon of loads vrfrom the carriers of the elevator.

vFigure 2 is a fragmentary section taken through the conveyor or on line, Q-Q, Figure l.

Figure 3 is a transverse horizontal lsection through the elevator looking down, showing the carriers in plan view.

Figure ll is adetail of a blank for one of the supports of the carrier.

Figure 5 is a verticalsection through the tor chain. y l

Figure is a section through an end plate ofl the carrier as indicated at line, (3*6,

Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary 4de- A' tail'showing a portionL of a carrier-'and chain connections.

' Figure '8 is a vertical'axial section through the overhangiiigV end of the transverse cony veyor.

In Figure l of the' drawings, both the ele- "vatorfl and transverse unloading conveyor 45 are illustratedk more or less diagrammatica'lly, merely showing the skeleton supporting struct-ure. v The elevator comprisesV a uPair of endless cliainrbelts, 10, trained over head landf'foot wheels, 11 and 12, which are #carried on A'their respectivehead and foot shafts, 13 and 14. The head shaft is suitably supported on the framing, while vthe foot shaft is mounted in bearings, l5, of take-ups, 16, secured to the skeleton framing at the bottom and adapted to adjust the slack in the belts, l0. A drive wheel, 17, is rigidly secured to the outer end of the head shaft and is driven by a belt, 18, from a driver wheel, 1 9, on a reducer shaft, 20, of a worm gear speed reducer, 2l, which in turn is'driven from an electric motor, 22, mounted On the framing at the top of the elevator. The driving connection to the head shaft as above described includes the usual controlling mechanisms such as clutches, etc., (not shown).

The belts, l0, are provided with horizon- V'tally disposed carriers, 25, spaced at suitable intervals. These carriers are so designed that loads such as trays, 26, may be elevated on one side of the elevator, while the opposite side of the carrier may be used to carry trays and the like down on the down run side of the elevator. The carrier 'proper comprises a pair of spaced, vertically disposed end plates, 27, having their rear end portions mounted 'on supporting plates, 28, which are carried on a pair of vertically spaced transverse cross rods, 29, connected at opposite ends to the chain belts, lO. A pair of oppositely disposed U-shaped load supporting angle members, 30, are attached to the inner sides of said end plates. These members are each disposed with 'the closed portion of the U, adjacentthe cross rods, 29; and with the leg portions, 3l, connected to the end plates and sloping outwardly from each other away from the belts. The lower supporting member of each pair is inclined oppositely, so that when the carrier is reversed in its passage around the head or foot wheels it will still present a load supporting surface sloping downwardly toward the belt.

Figure 4 shows a blank for the supporting member, 30, which, when formed, is bent Vltmgitudinally along line, 32, to make an angle member; then it is bent at 33, so that with the clearance afforded by notches, 34,

'ther lower flanges of the leg portions, 3l, are

lapped on top of the lower 'flange of the iii-l i sitely inclined relation. The outer ends and food or dishes to a desired level. v of 'illustration and with reference to Figure path of upward travel.

both edges of the end plates, 27, are beaded over as indicated at 37,`togobviate possible v injuryto the operators when loadingr and unloading. Y s A,

The chain belts, 10, may be of any l'ofthe usual types for carrying the cross rods, The Outer ends of the crossrods are provided with rollers, V40, .outside of the carrier, and engaged between pairs of vertically disposed guides, which include angle members, '41,

. spaced ba'clr to bac'lrand secured to'the framing. Y The guidance ofthe roller permits the carriersto Operate in substantially a true `vertical direction'and prevents swaying of the belts v.with the loads. A. pair vof rollers,y

42, are mounted o'nthe cro-ss rods,f29, as Vseen in Figure 7, on opposite sides of each strand of chain adapted to'ride on flanges, 43,

YformedY on the sides of the` head and foot v wheels.

flanges tend to remove part'of the load and The rollers, 42, riding on these strain of the carrier" from 4the chains, as well as lessen the vibration of these parts. It

will .be seen that one of the openings in the s supporting plates, 28, through which a cross rod,'29, extends, is elongated vertically, `as

indicated at 44, soars to allow for shortening Y 1 of the chord between the two openings when the chain'passes around thehead or'foot wheels.

vTray elevators of this type are especially *adaptable for use inhotels, restaurants, hospitals, etc., for raising and lowering trays'iof By way 1 it will be understood that ,trays may be loaded on'the up 'run of the elevator, 1, fataV point opposite the transverse conveyor, 2,`

and may be removedatany point along the Also on the down run side of the elevator, trays may be loaded at any convenient point and may be auto'- matically. discharged adjacent the bottom onto the transverse unloadingy conveyor, 2.V

l-rutomatic'stops of anyof tlieusualy types ymay be arranged `at convenient points along VV`the path of the rup run of the elevator'for ystopping the same at a predetermined point' for unloading.- This arrangement provides a complete system of handling of trays and .thelilre withra single elevato'rm'echanism. f Y The carriers, 25, V'with theiry 'load supporting'members, 30, carry the load, such as aY tray, in a position inclined slightly inward and downward toward thechain belts, 10.'

Y .f Tf there is any vibration it will tend to -work .f es

ther trayorloadfnearer the lower end ofthe inclined load supporting surface, bringing it near the chainbelts, thereby obviating the possibility of the tray being jarred 'outwardly by the vibration with the danger of the tray or its contents striking against obstructions in the shaft. This construction also counteracts the tendency of the.V weight of the load remote from the chain belts to deflect them and thus tilt the carrier outwardly sol as to spill ork damage the contents. It. willbe noted that the end plates, 27, of the carrier are of substantial height, protestingV the load from spillage over these end plates in case of sway or. vibration' of the elevator belts.V A Y Y Referring now to the transverse unloading s conveyor 2,'it will be seen fromthe drawings Vto have an overhangingfend projecting into the path of travel of thecarriers onV the down `run side of theelev'ator for intereepting the trays from the carriers and transferring them to suitable receiving tables (not shown). This conveyor includes a pairY of spaced tapes or narrowfbelts, 50, trained over Va head pulley, 51, and tailfpulleys, 52,*and

tensioned by an idler pulley, 53,which engages the return run of the tapes and which is supported in the structural frame of the conveyor. shaft, 54, which has bearing support on the framing; a drivewheel, is carried on'one Q end 'of said shaft andis driven fromv a wheel, 56, on the take up shaft, 14, of the elevator,

by. abelt, 57.f The tail pulleys, 52, are se-V cured to the vends of a shaft, 58, which is supportedjintermediate saidfpulleys by a. relatively long journalfbearing, 59, Vmounted at the end of a pair of longitudinallyv extending bearing' supporting. members, 60, whichl 'are attached to thefframing'of the elevator Aand conveyor.y It will be seen from Figure 2 that' the overhanging endof the conveyor with the'tailpulleys, 52, lies in the space betweenthe paths of the load'supporting members, 31, of the carrier as they pass down-- ward, so that the tray orlOad will be inter- .ceptedfand removed by the tapes, 50,\i1n

mediately upon its arrival at this plane.' 1 It will be noted that the overhanging end of the yconveyor projects inwardly a substantialv distance beyond the center of loading ofthe 'supporting4 members to insurefproper balance ofthe load as it isvdischarged therein, thereby assuring positive and immediate movement ofthe load by thefrictional engagement of the tapes of said conveyor. To partially relieve the impact Vand `jarring when the load or tray is transferredl to the Y tapes, a yielding intercepting table,l 61, is provided to engage the load or tray andv lower the same in a smooth andceasy manner to be engaged by said tapes. This table, V61,

The head pulley is mounted on a comprises'a plate, interposedv between the ytapes andbent rearwardly between the tail pulleys, -theni back :on itselfminspaced Y relation, forming a springlike member, having a substantially flat table portion extending parallel to and disposed slightly above said tapes. rlhe bottom of this plate, 61, is secured to the bearing support members, 60. Guides, 62, extend parallel to the tapes to j assist in steering the trays along them.

'1. The combination with a vertical conveyor having a pair of endless belts, of carriers on said belts at spaced intervals, said carriers each including a pair of horizontally spaced, laterally extending load-carrying arms, a conveyor co-operating therewith hav- 'ing an overhanging end extending into the path of travel of loads on said carriers, said conveyor comprising a pair of load-carrying v tapes, a transverse shaft at said overhanging end, a pair of pulleys mounted at the ends of said shaft with the tapes trained thereover,

y said pulleys and shaft being positioned to lie tially flat load-intercepting table normally `vdisposed slightly above the tapes.

3. In a conveyor, a pair of vertically travelling belts and a load carrier comprising a pair of end plates disposed in vertical planes and attached to said belts and projecting transversely therefrom, members secured to the opposed faces of said end plates with flanges projecting therefrom to serve as load supports, each plate having two such flanges oppositely inclined .toV a perpendicular to the belt, the upper flange inclining downwardly toward the belt, and stop means to limit movement of a loadtoward the belt on said flanges.

4:. In a conveyor, a pair of vertically travelling belts and a load carrier comprising a pair of end plates disposed in vertical planes and attached to said belts and projecting transversely therefrom, angle members secured by l their vertical flanges to the opposed faces of said end plates with their horizontal flanges projecting to serve as load supports and inclined longitudinally toward the belt, the vertical flanges of the angles on the respect-ive 'n plate being connected by a transverse member extending between the plates and serving as the stop means. f

5. In an endless belt conveyor, a load carrier comprising an angle member having a Y v middle portion and end portions extending transversely of the middle portion and opposite each other with vertically disposed end plates secured to said end portions and attached to the belt thus forming a carrier adapted to support a load by engaging only its marginal portions.

SAMUEL OLSON. 

